LOGINCindy never expected her mother's marriage to a billionaire to change her life overnight. Thrust into the luxurious Knight Mansion, she finds herself living under the same roof as Blake Knight, her cold and dangerously irresistible new stepbrother. What begins as hatred soon ignites into a forbidden attraction neither of them can deny, threatening to destroy their family, their hearts, and everything they hold dear.
View MoreCindy's POV
Today is my mum's wedding.
Finally after years of hard days and multiple heartbreaks, her last ex even said she's wasn't good enough because she already had me.
That evening she broke down so bad that I had to console her till dawn.
But look at us today. I stood in the big fancy hall and my heart beat fast. Mum looked so pretty in her white dress. She had waited so long for a day like this so she carried herself beutifully beside her husband. My step father.
We were poor for many years. I remembered when she worked two jobs just to keep us fed. There were no nice clothes for me. Some nights there was not much food either. But she always found a smile for me even when she was tired.
Now she was marrying Victor Knight, a rich and powerful man. I was so happy for her. She earned this. She earned every bit of it.
The room was full of light. Crystal lamps hung from the ceiling and flowers filled every corner. Rich and important people sat in neat rows. Cameras flashed again and again. Victor held Mum's hand like it was something precious.
With the way he looks at her it's certain he deeply loves her. When they said "I do" and kissed, I clapped so hard my hands hurt. Tears filled my eyes. My mum was Mrs. Knight now.
After a few hours, something felt wrong .
I could hear soft whispers moving through the crowd like a cold wind.
"Mr. Blake did not come," a woman near me said.
She wore a floral long sleeveless gown and a burgundy cap that sat very pretty.
"He is furious about this marriage,"
Her friend who looked quite lighter added.
I was looking straight up but my ear could hear everything they said.
"No one knows if he will accept the new wife. Or her daughter."
Immediately my stomach turned. Who was this Blake? I leaned toward the woman beside me and asked quietly. She told me he was Victor's son. Feared by everyone who worked for his family. I had never met him so I pushed the worry down deep and told myself today was not about him. Today was my mother's day, and nothing should spoil it.
After the ceremony ended, Victor walked over to me. He placed his hand gently on my shoulder and looked into my eyes.
"Cindy," he said, "you are part of the Knight family now. You do not have to call me anything you are not ready for, but know this.
I will take care of you like my own."
His words wrapped around me like something warm.
"Thank you," I said, and I meant it. I still felt small in this rich world, like I did not belong among the marble floors and diamond rings. But Mum had this now. That was all that mattered to me.
The reception began soon after. Soft music filled the hall. Waiters moved between tables carrying trays of food I had never even seen before. People danced in slow circles under the lights. Victor rose to his feet and lifted a glass of champagne. The room grew quiet for him.
"Everyone, thank you for being here tonight," he said, his voice full and proud. "I have found real happiness again. With Elena, and with her daughter, Cindy..."
Just then the doors at the back of the hall flew open with a crash that shook the air. Every head turned and the music instantly stopped. A tall man stepped through the doorway like he owned the very ground beneath him.
He wore a black suit that fitted his body very perfectly. His shoulders were wide and he has a straight back. He has a very handsome but cold looking face. and his jaw was sharp enough to cut through a glass. He walked heavily and the sound of his shoes echoed through the silent room.
Blake Knight.
My breath caught in my throat. He was even more striking up close than the whispers had made him sound.
He sighted me across the hall. Something hit me deep in my chest. Fear, yes. But also something else, something I did not have a name for. My face felt hot.
He did not smile for or waved at anybody.
He walked straight toward us, and every step felt louder than the last. Victor's smile faded from his face. Mum grabbed his arm and held it tight, like she was so much afraid of Blake.
Blake stopped in front of us. He looked at his father in a demeaning way for a few seconds. Then his gaze slid over to me, and he stared like he was trying to see through my skin.
I could not look away, no matter how much I wanted to. His stare was deep and heavy, and it made my whole body feel strange, like my skin was too tight.
He smiled slowly, but I could tell it was a fake one.
"So this is her," he said. His voice was low and sharp, and it cut through the whole room like a blade.
"The daughter of the woman who replaced my mother."
The words landed like a slap. Every guest in the room turned to look at me. My hands began to shake. I felt small, exposed, like I was standing there with nothing to hide behind.
As he looked down at my feet to my dyed hair.
There was anger burning in his stare but I noticed it vanished immediately he looked right at my chest like he was measuring it with his dark eyes.
"Okay. You really don't look bad miss"
For a second I wondered what that statement meant. On my own end I noticed things I should have just ignored. How veiny and sweet his hands looked. The way his suit pulled tight across his chest when he breathe and how tight his bulge looked.
The whole hall stayed silent, waiting. Mum's face had gone pale with fear. Victor finally stepped between us.
"Blake," he yelled with a tight voice.
"whatever you think you are doing, this isn't the time"
"Dad !. I'm just happy for our new family" Blake let out a cold and hollow laugh before leaning a bit to hug me gently saying right into my ear.
"Welcome to the family, little sister. I hope you enjoy your new life here. Because I plan to make sure it becomes very... interesting."
There was a warning wrapped inside every word. But the way he said "interesting," the way his voice sounded while he said it, made my heart pound even harder than the fear did. I was afraid of him. And yet some small, foolish part of me didn't want to let go of his hug.
He turned calmly and walked to a table set apart from the rest. He sat down like a king taking his throne, and he watched us with those same dark eyes. The music started again, slow and careful, and people tried to return to their dancing. But the air in the hall wasn't just the same.
I pressed my hand against my chest, but my heart would still not slow down. It's obvious Blake Knight hated me and my mom.
But the way he had looked at me was not only hate. There was something else hidden inside it, something I pretty understood but was afraid to admit.
This was only the beginning of my new life in the Knight family. And somehow, deep down, I already knew that nothing would ever be the same again.
Cindy's POV The mansion returned to its normal quiet after the charity dinner. I noticed Mom watching me more often than before. Every time Blake and I crossed paths, even just to say good morning, it felt dangerous. One wrong look and everything could fall apart.Mom invited me out for coffee that afternoon. She wanted time alone with me. We sat at a small café near the city center. She talked about how happy she was that we finally had a stable home."I spent so many years worrying about money and moving. Now I can finally breathe.""You deserve that peace, Mom," I said."I do." She wrapped both hands around her cup. "Do you remember the apartment on Fifth Street? The one with the leaking ceiling?""How could I forget. You put a bucket under it and named it Gerald."She laughed, really laughed, and for a moment she looked younger. "Gerald served us well. But I do not miss those days. I do not miss watching you go without things because I could not afford them.""You never let me fe
The charity dinner preparations were almost finished. Mom asked me to help her set the long dining table. We stood side by side placing silverware and folding napkins."You have been smiling a lot more lately," Mom said casually while arranging the plates. "Is there something or someone making you happy?"I almost dropped a fork. "No. I am just happy you are happy. That is all."She laughed softly. "All right. Keep your secrets then." We talked about growing up, about how she always wanted me to find someone who treated me well."You deserve someone steady," she said, smoothing a napkin flat. "Someone who notices you. Not someone who just tolerates you.""I know, Mom.""I mean it. After everything with your father, I promised myself I would not let you settle for less than that." She glanced at me sideways. "You would tell me, would you not? If there was someone."I changed the subject as fast as I could, asking her about the flowers for the centerpiece instead. She let it go, but I f
Cindy's POV I was helping Mom decorate the mansion for the upcoming charity dinner, arranging ribbons along the staircase railing and tucking white lilies into vases that lined the entryway, when Blake walked through the living room. He wore a fitted black shirt that made his shoulders look even broader than usual, and for a moment I forgot what I was doing entirely. Our eyes met across the room. I felt my cheeks warm instantly, a heat that had nothing to do with the afternoon sun coming through the tall windows.He is not even trying to hide it anymore, I thought. Neither am I, apparently.Blake's gaze lingered on me a second too long before he looked away, and I found myself gripping the stem of a flower a little too hard. Servants moved around us carrying trays and folding chairs, weaving between the two of us like we were just another piece of furniture in their way, so neither of us could say anything. We just stood there, caught in that small silent moment, until it passed a
Cindy's POV I woke up feeling anxious, the kind of anxious that sits low in the stomach and refuses to lift. The memory of Victor looking up at me on the staircase last night would not leave my mind. Had he seen something in my expression. Something I had not meant to show. Did he suspect what was happening between Blake and me.I kept hearing Blake's words too."You will not be able to hate the right person." What did he mean by that. The sentence circled in my head like a warning I could not quite understand, over and over, until it stopped sounding like words and started sounding like a threat wrapped in something gentler.I went downstairs hoping Blake had already left for the day. But Victor was sitting on the terrace having breakfast alone, a newspaper folded beside his plate, the morning light catching the silver at his temples. He smiled warmly when he saw me. "Cindy, come join me. It is a beautiful morning out here."I sat down across from him, arranging my face into somethi












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